Prof. Julian A. Davies
Chemistry Department
3276 WO
University of Toledo
Davies Faculty Page
| Julian
A. Davies Distinguished University Professor of Chemistry and Medicinal Chemistry |
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| Professional Background:
B.Sc. (Hons.) 1976, University of London (England); Ph.D. 1979, University of London (England); Postdoctoral Fellow 1979-81, Guelph-Waterloo Centre for Graduate Work in Chemistry (Canada) |
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| Email: Office: |
jdavies@uoft02.utoledo.edu WO 3276 |
Phone: Fax: |
(419)
530-1504 (419) 530-4033 |
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Research
Synopsis:
Transition Metal
Chemistry:
Synthetic, mechanistic, and structural transition metal chemistry, including applications to problems in catalysis, material science, and medicine. Our research interests are in the chemistry of the transition metals and involve work in a number of allied areas. In relation to the application of transition metals in catalysis we are interested in the synthesis and reactivity of organometallic compounds which may serve as models for the interaction of organic substrates with heterogeneous transition metal catalysts. As part of our work in this area we are investigating the reactions of heteroatom- functionalized acetylenes with binuclear transition metal complexes. We have discovered unusual 1,2-heteroatom shifts in the reactions of acetylenes with bimetallic complexes of nickel, palladium, and platinum which lead to the formation of bridged vinylidenes. Such reactions are comparable to the well-known 1 ,2-hydride shifts observed when acetylene is chemisorbed onto heterogeneous platinum metal catalysts. Our work in the area of heterogeneous catalysis is focused on the use of semiconductor materials in the photochemical reactions of nitrogen compounds and is part of a collaborative effort with Dr. Jimmie G. Edwards of this Department. Throughout the course of our studies in these areas we rely on the use of a variety of analytical methods to characterize the compounds we synthesize and to investigate their reactivity in stoichiometric and catalytic processes. In addition to the more routine analytical techniques, we utilize both solution and solid-state multinuclear magnetic resonance methods, FT-IR spectroscopy, GC-MS, X-ray crystallography, and a variety of electroanalytical techniques. Our interest in material science has led us to develop new synthetic routes to molecular precursors to electroceramics. The molecular precursors that we prepare have rigidly controlled stoichiometries which lead to high purity, well-defined ceramic materials. We have shown how the normally intractable material TiO2 can be converted via a versatile molecular precursor, [Ti(catecholate)3]2- , into materials such as BaTiO3, SrTiO3, BaxSr yTiO3, PbTiO3, etc. Similar strategies may be employed in the synthesis of ceramics based on bismuth, tin, germanium, etc. In the application of transition metal chemistry to problems in medicine, we have focused on the development of paramagnetic transition metal complexes as contrast agents for magnetic resonance imaging (MRI). we have shown that complexes of high-spin iron(III) with catecholate ligands -- based on the naturally occurring catecholate siderophores that bind iron -- have unusually high relaxivities and that application of ligand design strategies and structure-activity relationships allows the design of organ-selective MR contrast agents. Our current focus in this area is the design of contrast media that are capable of differentiation of tumors from normal parenchyma in the liver, an approach that exploits the biochemistry of hepatocyte uptake mechanisms. |
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